Preview: The Wizards vs. Daaaaa Fire

By: Michael | April 20th, 2007

The Skinny:
MLS was kind enough to give us 3 away games in the first 7 days of the season. To put the cherry on top of it all, this third game is in Chicago, where the Wizards have a 11-1-1 record. Fatigued and away at Soldier’s Field, this will be a battle for KC.

My Take:
I think a tie here would be really great to build upon for our home opener against Toronto FC – it would also satisfy my early prediction of a 1-1-1 record in our opening three games. Granted, I expected our 1-0-1 status to be from a loss at DC and a win at RSL, but I like the flip flop just fine. If we lose, we lose, though I don’t expect this team to keel over and die like we have in the past upon entering Chicago. Don’t be too too surprised if we run away with the franchise’s second win at Soldier Field ever.

The Starting XI:
In general it seems like Onalfo will be starting the same lineup as he did in DC, only this time, Nick Garcia will be able to play now that the silly red card from ‘06 is out of the way. Hohlbein will likely get his first rest of the season, and a deserved break if you ask me. For coming into pre-season as the number five center-back (below Conrad, Garcia, Thomas, and Wahl), he has certainly proved his ability to be a solid backup and Onalfo’s ability to pick youngsters who are ready to compete. That said, my guess at the lineup is below. Though it’s early, fatigue may play a role in this game, so I put a set of parenthesis next to each player. The first symbol is the DC game and the second is the RSL game… a * is a start, a ^ is a substitution, and a _ is a game on the bench.

———————–Hartman(**)———————-
Jewsbury(**)–Garcia(_*)–Conrad(**)–Burciaga(*_)
———————–Zavagnin(**)———————
Arnaud(*^)———Victorine(**)—–Harrington(**)
————Johnson(**)——Sealy(*^)————-

Look for someone in the midfield (probably Victorine) to be subbed out for Marinelli to make a difference later in the game. Indications are he’s not quite fit enough to play the full 90′, so look for Onalfo to keep subbing him in earlier and earlier. He could be a difference maker late. One more health note: Sealy is listed as “Probable” with a foot contusion… he should be fine, but if he isn’t, Arnaud can play up front and let one of our midfield plethora jump in.

Prediction Time:
My Prediction: Chi 2 – 2 KC
FIFA ‘03 Prediction: Chi 3 – 0 KC
Pretty straight forward… I think we can keep our offense chugging along, FIFA ‘03 does not. Surely Hartman makes a one goal difference over Bo Oshiniyi, right? Please? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?